Cold Water Die-Hards vs. Warm Water Wimps

[ClayJar]

I could pretty much say "me too" to DA's post, but the first part really resonated with me.

1. Cold water divers tend to dive because they want to dive.

Of the dozen or so people with whom I was certified, only two of us dive often. We don't need a beautiful coral reef to make it worthwhile. We don't need it to be easy. We don't even need it to be perfectly comfortable (although generally the more comfy, the better, or at least that's why I dive dry).

Because we don't need it to be comfy, warm, and pretty, we do many more dives than our fellow former students. Because it usually *isn't* perfectly comfy and warm, we have to work with more involved gear and develop more refined skills than we would need in comfy, warm water.

If we lived in a tropical paradise, I'm certain we would still end up with refined skills and many, many dives' worth of experience. It would not be difficult to acclimate to the additional challenges of cold water diving. The simple fact seems to be that most divers seem to live far from tropical paradises, so the cold water divers tend to be the ones with the dive time and experience to build robustly adaptable skill sets. This really has little to do with temperature and very much to do with actually getting out there and diving.

Note, of course, that practice does not make perfect -- practice makes permanent. We've likely all met someone with bajillions of dives who scares the spit out of us by their shockingly inept diving. To the extent that familiarity may preclude thoughtful consideration, any diver, cold or warm, can be poor in spite of experience. Breadth of experience is strong medicine against becoming overly familiar with any given dive and may be necessary to maintain the flexibility necessary to dive well in widely varying locales.

 

[GLENFWB]

Ana, I think you and I were typing at the same time....you said it perfectly. Others can have the titles of diving in the coldest water and wearing the most gear....I will take the warm water, clear viz, and sun. Now, let me pull this wet suit off because I am getting warm.

I see most of the replies are from cold water divers. Maybe most of the WWD’s (warm water divers) are busy diving and haven’t had the chance to reply yet.

I think recreational divers get in the water because they want to dive, I read above: “cold water divers dive because they want” I don’t know of any WWD’s getting in the water at gun point. For the most part they have a smile in their face when they go in, could be they know they’re not about to freeze their tale off.

I also believe that there are 2 types of cold water divers the ones that go into cold Open Waters and the ones that go in landlocked water holes.
I base this belief on their different performance once they go to dive sites with temperatures more fit for humans instead of penguins.
Divers from the North Sea, California, Washington, and all those horribly cold open water areas tend to have a blast on warm water dives; they go down, explore all over then come up and are ready to go at it again.
The inland divers I’ve seen as a general rule have a horrible time in boats unless the vessel is big enough to fit a picnic table on deck. They have close to perfect buoyancy control; do take forever and a day to plan the simplest 85’ dive, then another eternity for touching and over-touching every piece of gear. Then after all that, they don’t do anything with all that perfection; go down perfectly horizontal to a certain point, don’t get close enough to the bottom to check all the wonders in between small places, stay perfectly horizontal for the duration of their dive and then perfectly horizontal they go up.

This is what I’ve seen in the last few decades. So I supposed it is a matter of defining in advance what you call a good or better diver.

Right now I’m dealing with what I consider cold water conditions, like others mentioned even the term cold is subjective. 63 degree water is stupidly cold for me, I have to deal with the dry suit, undergarments, lots of lead, and can’t pee during the dives the way I like. But I’ll escape to the good side of Florida as many weekends as I can to keep my skills down, no way I want to ever hear myself say “hmm I like it better when I need 10 tons of crap to avoid hypothermia, because that makes me better”

I would live under a bridge of a warm water and air area before going to a place where there is no open water and/or the water temps stay below 75 every single day of the year.

You Cold Water Divers can have all the titles you need in order to deal with your reality. I’ll take the “lousy diver” label and be warm and happy.

 

[Hank49]

Three or more years ago I remember being a little put off by this same discussion and that cold water divers are "better". But maybe it's true to a point as far as being perfectly trimmed in calm water etc.
On the other hand, it's hard for me to swallow the concept of a midwesterner (I was born there too) with very little to no ocean experience, being "better" because to me, it's more of an all around water person issue also. I grew up in Ohio until I was 21 and was a water bug for that part of the country...all free time in the pools, rivers, creeks, jumping off bridges....etc. But I was in awe.... blown away when I went to Hawaii (where I stayed for 9 years). It took quite a while to develop skills for handling even a 4 foot trade swell at Makapu'u, not to mention larger swells and how to get in and out of the water. After learning that, I started diving, which then came pretty easy.
This leads to the fact that cold water, big surf divers are probably the most skilled divers, which I have to concede to be true. But as Ana said, they can have it. Brrrrrr.

 

[Darnold9999]

Think DA Aquamaster said pretty much all I would have to add.

The only thing I would add is that diving dry in cold water adds a level of skill re boyancy control that you don't get diving wet in warm water. In a wetsuit particularly a thin one boyancy control is unbelieveably easy compared to diving a dry suit. You have to pay attention all the time - so much so that you integrate the skills into your unconsious. I find myself pushing the non-existing inflate button on my 1/2 shortie without even thinking about it for the first few dives in warm water.

I also make sure my first dive in cold is a really easy one so I reintegrate those skills back into my diving. Warm is just so much easier, it is easy to lose the focus required to dive up here. Better diver - not really - just more aware of boyancy at all times if you dive dry. A required skill.

Having never done a significant surf entry I suspect I would look like a complete newby the first dive or two. Which would be true. Better/worse not relevant.

 

[Darnold9999]

PS - the biggest determinating factor for a good diver as far as I can tell is skin diving skills. If you have them and are perfectly comfortable in the water at 30 feet with out a reg in your mouth then the transition to diver seems to go much easier and faster. Nothing to do with warm/cold.

 

[MissyP]

When I first started diving in Jan 2005 (here in SoCal), I recall a local, experienced diver telling me "if you can beach dive year round in SoCal, you can dive anywhere in the world".

I tend to agree.. lol. We have some unpleasant conditions at times, long walks in gear (sometimes accompanied by stairs, hills, rocks, and lots of sand).. Surf, cold water, currents, surge, low to no vis at times, and its very gear intensive.. We have to dive drysuits or the thick encumbering 7mm wetsuits, 5-6mm hoods & gloves (or drygloves)~ which all mean that we have to carry more weight on our backs or belts, which can suck on those long walks.. In La Jolla, our surface swims can vary between 15 and 30 minutes~ not always fun when the outside temp is in the 50s, theres surface chop, and a surface current.. Is it worth it? YES.
Does it make me a better & more skilled diver? I think so....
Does it make me a better diver than the person who lives and dives on a tropical island? Probably not....

Oh and to Ana-- who said "You Cold Water Divers can have all the titles you need in order to deal with your reality. I’ll take the “lousy diver” label and be warm and happy."-- sorry but thats just BS... It's not about labels-- its about how much you want to dive. We don't need pretty fishies and warm water to WANT to dive.. we want to dive because we WANT to dive-- it's not just a hobby.. Its how we live.
And are we happy? Oh you'd better believe it!

 

[KOMPRESSOR]

I spent 8 hours in 34F surface temps this weekend, helping out with OWD-classes. I suppose when our students learn their basics in snow slush, or actually more learning that YEAH, WE DIVE WHEN IT SNOWS TOO, they're one step up the experience ladder from those who have to suffer in 80F somewhere else on the planet...

Nice blue lips too!

 

[GLENFWB]

You are missing her point...you are "assuming" that those who dive in cold water want to dive more then those who dive in warm water....that reasoning is "bull". Who wants to dive more is an never ending argument. The proof of what she said is evidence in the thread itself.....some bang their chests, claim how much more they want to dive then someone in warm weather, how much gear you have to have, all the effort it takes, blah, blah....so what.

The love of the sport compels us all....warm and cold water divers. Do we "need pretty fishies and warm water to want to dive?"....heck no, but it sure as heck beats looking at the same jeep or structure in a rock quarry.

Are we happy? Oh you'd better believe it! Are we warm? OH YEAH!

Oh and to Ana-- who said "You Cold Water Divers can have all the titles you need in order to deal with your reality. I’ll take the “lousy diver” label and be warm and happy."-- sorry but thats just BS... It's not about labels-- its about how much you want to dive. We don't need pretty fishies and warm water to WANT to dive.. we want to dive because we WANT to dive-- it's not just a hobby.. Its how we live. And are we happy? Oh you'd better believe it!

 

[Ana]

Oh and to Ana-- who said "You Cold Water Divers can have all the titles you need in order to deal with your reality. I’ll take the “lousy diver” label and be warm and happy."-- sorry but thats just BS... It's not about labels--

I'm glad it isn't about labels for you.

however... check out the title of this thread, I think the labeling started there.

Because you dive year round in California you can dive anywhere in the world. Ok but just because a California diver can dive anywhere doesn't mean than a Bahamas diver can not. I dive year round in Florida, I get cold so I use a dry suit. I probably use as much gear as some of the divers up north diving in 30 degree water. So do I qualify as one of the "Die-Hards" from the thread's title or one of the "Wimps" If it is the gear you wouldn't believe how many Floridians use dry suits, and I'm not talking about cavers only. If it is rought waters, Florida has some of that too.

I'm not the one saying this or that is better. A group of Cold Water Divers want to describe Warm Water Divers as less capable, passionate, commited divers... very good, whatever makes them happy. I been in warm waters around many divers from "Cold Waters". Most of the ones from "Cold Open Waters" adapted to the environment in no time. Most of the "Cold Inland Waters" did not.

Now if I was to follow the example of the OP I should conclude that every "Cold Inland Water" is not up to par and I should stay away from them.

 

[friscuba]

Crappy divers come from all over, water temperature is the least of the factors. Given the choice of diving with a crappy cold water diver, a crappy warm water diver, or a cold water diver who won't dive with a warm water diver, I'd probably rather have either of the crappy divers as my dive buddy. By the way, I'm a fan of some cold water diving, and I think people should do it if they have the opportunity... gotta admire those who go through the extra effort.